My Angel In Red
by Star of Heaven
Summary: When Ayachan opened her eyes, she thought she was in Heaven. Even now, two months later, she still thinks of her angel in red. [Manx x Ayachan]


_My Angel In Red_

Disclaimer: I'm not Takehito Koyasu or Project Weiß, so I don't own Weiß Kreuz. Also, Manx's real name is Hanae Kitada. Just so you don't get confused.

* * *

It had been two months since Fujimiya Aya had awoken from her coma. During that time, she had become close friends with Tomoe Sakura. Thanks to Sakura, she had a vague idea of what had happened with her older brother Ran over the last two years and why he wasn't around right now. She missed him very much, but there was something else her heart longed for. 

Aya stepped into the flower shop known as the Kitty in the House and set her backpack on the table. Every other day after school she helped Yamaguchi Momoe, the old lady who was her legal guardian, with the flower shop.

"My, you're early today," Momoe commented as she watered some blooming red roses.

"There wasn't a lot of traffic for once," Aya replied, sitting down at the table. "Do you mind if I do some homework until Sakura-chan gets here?"

"Of course not," Momoe assured with a smile. "You need to keep your grades up."

Aya beamed and began working on her math homework. After some time had passed there was a knock on the door. Aya jumped up from her chair and opened the door, expecting to see Sakura. But her expectations were wrong.

The person at the door was actually the beautiful red-haired woman Aya had first seen when she had woken up. In that moment, Aya had fallen in love. She wanted to know more about this woman, for all she knew was that the woman's name was Kitada Hanae and that she was an acquaintance of Ran's.

"Hello, Aya-chan," Hanae greeted. "How are you today?"

"H-Hi, Hanae-san," Aya stuttered, trying to will her face not to blush. "I'm fine. Do you want to come in?"

Hanae shook her head, her fiery curls barely swinging. "I just wanted to see how you were doing. Well then, take care."

"Wait, Hanae-san!" The words were out of Aya's mouth before she could think about them.

Hanae halted and turned her hand. "Yes?"

Aya was beyond nervous now. "W-Would you like to get together with me sometime?" she forced out, her throat dry. "I know of this really nice outdoor café."

A smile came upon Hanae's bright lips. "Sure, I'd like that," she accepted. "I'll met you here at four tomorrow. Is that all right?"

"Yeah," Aya responded absentmindedly.

"See you later," Hanae said. She lightly patted Aya's head before leaving the flower shop.

Momoe came up next to Aya. "I hope your date goes well," the old woman wished.

"It's not a date!" Aya corrected, her cheeks red. "It can't be! We're both girls!"

Momoe chuckled. "I was only kidding. So how old is this Hanae, anyway?"

"Um…" Aya realized that she didn't know Hanae's age. Luckily, she was saved from this awkward moment by another knock on the door. "That must be Sakura-chan!" She opened the door and allowed Sakura inside. The two girls exchanged a few words of light conversation before getting to work.

ººº

Later that night, Aya lay in her bed, fully awake. The excitement of tomorrow's possibilities prevented her from falling asleep. She had told Sakura about her plans for tomorrow, for the brunette also knew Hanae. Sakura had not said much, but she seemed genuinely happy for Aya.

Aya rolled over onto her side. Hanae was a very beautiful woman. Her hair was nearly the exact same shade of red as Ran's. She appeared so mature and so sophisticated. Just one look at her would reveal that she was a woman who could get anything done.

There was more to Hanae than just her physical appearance. To Aya, she was like an angel. When Aya had awoken from her coma, she had truly believed she was in Heaven when she had first seen Hanae. _My angel in red,_ she thought about Hanae.

As Aya was thinking about Hanae, she was unknowingly drifting into a deep sleep. And soon enough, she was fast asleep.

ººº

It was only half past three, but Aya was already eagerly waiting for Hanae. She paced nervously in front of the Kitty in the House. Butterflies fluttered rapidly in her stomach, and her throat was drier than dry. Several times she wondered if she should just get away while she had the chance, but then she would tell herself that would be rude. Besides, her desire to get to know Hanae was greater than anything else. 

Aya leaned against the wall and took a few deep breaths to calm herself. This wasn't a date; she and Hanae were just getting coffee. Everybody did that. It was perfectly normal.

Soon Aya saw Hanae walking toward the flower shop. "Hi, Hanae-san," she greeted cheerfully.

"Hello, Aya-chan," Hanae replied. She was still dressed in red and her hair was curled as fancy as ever. "So where is this café you promised?"

Aya smiled broadly. "It's not far from here," she said. "We can walk."

Aya began leading Hanae to the outdoor café. As they walked, more and more dark clouds filled the sky. It was difficult to believe that it had been so beautiful in the morning.

Disappointment awaited Aya and Hanae at the café. "It's closed?" Aya exclaimed. "But it's usually opened at this time!"

"Maybe it's closed because of the weather," Hanae guessed, looking up at the sky.

"But the weather report said nothing about rain!" Aya argued. As soon as she said that, she felt raindrops. At first it was just a light sprinkle, but in a mere few seconds it had become a torrential downpour.

Hanae lightly gripped Aya's wrist. Her hand was pleasantly warm, Aya noticed. "There's a subway station near here," the red-haired woman remembered. "We can stay there until the rain lets up."

Even though the subway station was only down the street, Hanae and Aya were drenched to their bones when they finally reached it. Despite being underground, they could still easily hear the rain.

"Hanae-san, I'm so sorry," Aya apologized as she and Hanae sat down on one of the waiting benches. "We haven't even been out for twenty minutes and already nothing's gone right."

"It's not your fault," Hanae reassured. She smiled mysteriously. "Today hasn't been all bad."

"Huh?" Aya replied. "What do you mean?"

Hanae's smirk became wider. "Your brother rarely talks about you," she began. "I could barely imagine what kind of girl you were. Now I see that you are a very beautiful girl. Your brother is very lucky to have you for a sister."

Red suddenly became the new color of Aya's face. She had received a compliment from Hanae! "Um, thank you," she said. "Hey, what do you know about my brother? Other than his-" she quickly glanced around at the other people in the subway station, "-bad career choices."

"He doesn't enjoy his job," Hanae clarified, "even though he's a hard-worker. But everything he did was for you. He needed money for your hospital bills, and he wanted to avenge his family. You may not think he's a good person, but he has sworn to protect those he loves."

"I never doubted him," Aya admitted, her voice cracking. "I just wish I could see him again…" She felt tears coming, but she attempted to hold them back. She couldn't cry in front of Hanae. She had to prove that she was as strong as her brother.

Hanae wrapped her arm around Aya's shoulders and pulled the young girl close. "Your brother loves you very much," the red-haired woman reminded. "And that's why he doesn't want to involve you in his life."

Aya couldn't think of the right words to say to that, even though she was very grateful to Hanae for what she had said. The young girl relaxed her body against Hanae's and savored this feeling of support from her angel in red.

The rain had stopped a while ago, but Aya only noticed that now. "Hey, I think the rain has passed," she pointed out.

"How convenient," Hanae remarked. "I have to meet up with your brother later. But first, I'll escort you back to the Kitty in the House."

Aya grinned widely. "Sure, I'd like that. Hey, could you tell my brother that I'll always love him, no matter what?"

Hanae gently grasped Aya's hand and gave it a little squeeze. "Of course I will," the red-haired woman promised. "That will mean a lot to him."

Hanae and Aya stood up and left the subway station. The sky was much clearer now, and most of the rainwater had already dried up. It was like it hadn't rained at all.

Much too soon for Aya, she and Hanae arrived at the Kitty in the House. Disappointment filled Aya as she realized that she had learned nothing about Hanae. And as if adding insult to injury, the red-haired woman had probably had a miserable time due to the young girl's poor judgment. At least Ran would receive her message of love soon.

"Hanae-san, I'm really sorry for how this all turned out," Aya apologized again. "I should've planned better."

Hanae laid her hand on Aya's shoulder. The young girl's heart began beating faster. "Aya-chan, I enjoyed this chance to be with you," the red-haired woman comforted. "Let's go out again sometime. I have to go now, so we'll decide a time and date for our second date tomorrow." She lightly kissed Aya's forehead. "See you later, Aya-chan. I'll be sure to give your brother your touching message." She turned around and walked away.

Aya waved half-heartedly, surprised at Hanae's sudden kiss. She had learned one thing today: Hanae returned her feelings. Next time, Aya would be the one to express her strong feelings.

Aya knew this wasn't Heaven, but she still thought of Hanae as her angel in red.

END


End file.
